System and method to adapt communications responsive to actionable intelligence

ABSTRACT

Devices, systems, and methods are described that employ actionable intelligence in an emergency or other situation requiring immediate situational awareness, based on multiple types of input. Actionable intelligence is an output providing guidance or information that can be acted on to resolve an incident. The device can be configured to request re-allocation of resources based on incident severity, and bonding technology is used to provide improved speed and reliability in networking communications following a triggering event.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional of, U.S. Application No.62/711,989, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ADAPT COMMUNICATIONSRESPONSIVE TO ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE”, filed 30 Jul. 2018 and also acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/023,406, entitled “A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMISSION OF DATA FROMA WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE OVER A MULTIPATH WIRELESS ROUTER”, filed on 29Jun. 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/616,060, filed Feb. 6, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/114,984, filed Oct. 31, 2013, which is theNational Stage of International Application No. PCT/IB2013/000690, filedApr. 16, 2013; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/446,825, filed Apr. 13, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/183,652, filed Jul. 15, 2011, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/364,598, filed Jul.15, 2010. The contents of each of these related applications are herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field ofnetwork connectivity, and more specifically, embodiments relate todevices, systems, and methods for automatically prioritizing ordeprioritizing communications responsive to triggers determined based onone or more data points that constitute an event or a potential event.

INTRODUCTION

The ability to have actionable intelligence in an emergency or othersituation requiring immediate situational awareness, based on multipletypes of input, is an area of growing need in an era of increasedscrutiny of police/civilian interaction.

Existing solutions rely on the sending of relatively small amounts ofsimple data across a single connection for central processing. In somecases, the data flow is one way, with the primary action of the Internetof Things (IoT) endpoint device being to alert a central service of acondition. Even in cases of two-way data flow, the instructions back tothe IoT endpoint device are simple, and based solely on fixed rulesrelating solely to that specific endpoint, with no analysis of otherendpoints which may be related to a larger incident.

Actionable intelligence benefits from electronic communications ability.However, stable, reliable connection links are not always available orcongested by use by other parties, including, for example, other,lower-priority communications associated with the individual. Forexample, a police vehicle may be transmitting video feeds continuously,or sending warrant request data or receiving a firmware update from abase station, resulting in bandwidth not being available when the policeofficer is engaging a suspect.

SUMMARY

Devices, systems, and methods are described that employ actionableintelligence in an emergency or other situation requiring immediatesituational awareness, based on multiple types of input, such as datafrom an event or incident.

Actionable intelligence may refer to an output by the system thatprovides guidance or specific information to a person, whereby theperson can act on the information provided by the output to resolve anincident. While policing is an immediate application, the technologydisclosed herein could apply to any number of related areas, includingbut not limited to ambulance services or health-care, military, andgeneral security, amongst others.

In a first aspect, there is a computer system provided for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to an embodiment. Corresponding computerprograms (e.g., non-transitory computer readable media storing machineinterpretable instructions for execution by a processor) and methods arealso contemplated. The system can include a sensor communicationsreceiver in electronic communication with sensors that is configured toperiodically receive data sets related to detected events, the detectedevents representative of a triggering event. The data sets include datavalues which, for example, can indicate the triggering event throughhaving a value beyond a threshold, or a combination of values whichtogether cause an aggregated value beyond a threshold. For example, aholster may have a magnetic sensor indicative of an open/close status ofa flap that secures a weapon. When the flap is opened, a Boolean valuemay be modified, the Boolean value associated with the triggering event(e.g., toggles isWeaponDrawn field).

Accordingly, the system associates the sensed data set with thetriggering event, and thus determines that the event has occurred,triggering an adaptation of multi-path communication pathways tore-route and re-prioritize communications for the officer's body camera.Other types of triggering events are possible, for example, when apolice vehicle speeds above a particular velocity, or experiences anabrupt acceleration (e.g., perhaps indicative that the vehicle has beenhit).

Other sensors can include emergency light activation sensors, a switchdirectly associated with requesting prioritized resources (e.g., usefulwhere emergency light activation would give away a position of theofficer), a personal monitoring device (e.g., a heart-rate sensor), adistress signal (e.g., emergency beacon), a friend or foe identificationtransponder, a particle detector (e.g., Geiger counter),gyroscope/accelerometer, among others.

The data sets can include raw data, which can be processed to determinethat a detected event has occurred. The detected event, for example, canbe the removal or placement of a weapon into a weapons rack/holster, theactivation/de-activation of vehicular lighting, the toggling of a switchexplicitly indicating the need for prioritized communications, etc.

Actionable intelligence can be used as a triggering mechanism andutilized to establish electronic communication pathways in anticipationof a high-priority or very important communication channel (or channels)being required. Actionable intelligence is by its very naturetime-sensitive, and is effected by a combination of data and logicalmechanisms that are activated in accordance with one or more processesto provision sufficient connectivity resources across smart blendedconnectivity.

The system includes a network communications controller device having aprocessor and adapted for communication with the sensor communicationsreceiver. The network communications controller determines, a requiredincrease or decrease in communications performance relative to currentcommunications performance for a target device; and provisions theincrease or decrease in communications performance by modifying one ormore data routing paths associated with one or more other networkeddevices to prioritize communications between the target device and acommunications station.

Modifying of the data routing paths can include re-allocating networklinks previously allocated to the other networked devices and using there-allocated network links for multi-path routing between the targetdevice and the communications station. The modifying of the data routingpaths can include, for example, modifying assignments of error controlroles and data transmission roles of the network links.

The other network devices can include a portable cellular router (e.g.,a vehicle may have a cellular hotspot), the portable cellular routerelectronically coupled to the target device through a local area networkconnection; and the data routing paths associated with the cellularrouter can be assigned error control roles, for example, to improve anoverall throughput of the signal to/from the target device to thecommunications station.

The modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices can further include temporarily disabling communications from asubset of the other networked devices by re-allocating an entirety ofthe corresponding network links of the subset of the other networkeddevices to the target device.

The modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices can include transmitting a data message to cellular basestations including electronic instructions to re-allocate cellularcommunications vectors to provide the increased communicationsperformance. This is useful where there may be clogged cellularnetworks, for example, due to a parade.

The required increase in communications performance can be designatedfor target locations based on a route of a vehicle stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the data routing paths associated withother networked devices to prioritize communications between the targetdevice and the communications station can be pre-emptively conducted atthe target locations while the vehicle is moving to the targetlocations, effectively clearing a communications path as the vehicleprogresses along the route.

The required increase in communications performance can be designatedfor a route of a vehicle or a person stored in electronic memory, andthe modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices to prioritize communications between the target device and thecommunications station includes modifying the data routing pathscorresponding to subsets of the other networked devices that areproximate to the vehicle or the person while the vehicle or the personis traversing the route.

The sensors can, for example, include at least one of a weaponsecurement device sensor or an emergency vehicle lighting activationsensor, and the target device includes at least one of a body camera, anidentification friend or foe transponder, or a dashboard camera. Otherexample embodiments are possible, for example, where the system is beingused in relation to a sports event, at concerts, military, search, orsearch and rescue operations, among others.

The sensors, in some embodiments, can be cameras, microphones, or otherrecording devices.

In some embodiments, the target device is adapted to record both a lowbandwidth data stream and a high bandwidth data stream, and the the lowbandwidth data stream being transmitted through the data routing pathsby the target device and the high bandwidth data stream being stored onlocal data storage or local computer memory.

In some embodiments, the processor is configured to generate a mappingof existing available communication links at a given location or set oflocations and store the mapping in a data structure, the data structurebeing an array or a linked list, for example. Characteristics of theavailable communication links can be stored thereon including, forexample, signal strength, packet loss, latency, type, expectedthroughput, frequency band/channel, available overage,expandability/controllability, carrier, among others. In particular,certain networks may be flagged as controllable (for example, operatedby a friendly carrier) such that bandwidth allocations or othercharacteristically can be modified by sending a signal to the basestation requesting more resources. Bulk data transfer may be prioritizedacross these networks.

Conversely, where a communication link is suspect or less control isavailable, the communication link can be assigned only error controlfunctions (e.g., sending parity bits, error correction codes) as theremay be potential third parties eavesdropping on the signal and a ramp upin data transfer could provide an unwanted indication of increasedemergency services activities. However, the communication link may stillbe useful for a limited set of functionality, especially whereconnection quality amongst the other available connections is poor.Suspect connections can include connections where snooping oreavesdropping is likely, for example, through a suspiciously strongsignal from a nearby cellphone tower that is above what should beexpected given the distance and normative traffic levels (e.g., a“Stingray”).

Existing communication pathways can be appropriated (re-assignment) ornew pathways can be opened (e.g., an expensive satellite connection).Differing priorities can be established (channel can be designated ashaving a super priority in terms of congestion management). Furthermore,error control functions and congestion control functions can be modifiedto improve throughput or other response characteristics.

It is desirable to have the ability to employ actionable intelligence inan emergency or other situation requiring immediate situationalawareness, based on multiple types of computer-interpretable input.Actionable intelligence and situational awareness can be detectedthrough monitored information, for example, as extracted from sensors,GPS units, radio usage, intercepted electronic signals, among others. Asdescribed in various embodiments, communications need to be reliable andsufficiently strong in relation to an event or at times proximate to theevent such that information can be captured and acted upon. Furthermore,events are often chaotic, unplanned, and in unpredictable spectralenvironments.

Accordingly, embodiments described herein are triggered automaticallybased on sensed data.

An example event is an unexpected encounter between a police officer anda suspect. During this encounter, the police officer may be wearing abody camera which is configured to transmit data wirelessly capturingspecifics of the encounter.

The body camera may have limited storage, and may need to transmit datathat is recorded either at a data intermediary, such as storage residingproximate to the police vehicle, or at an off-site storage. However,there may not be sufficient communication resources in a typicalscenario between the body camera and where it needs to transmit thedata. Accordingly, a trade-off may need to be made, and the quality ofthe video transmitted by the body camera may be reduced, impacting theintegrity of the video in further analysis, for example, in courtroomproceedings. Storing information locally without transmission alsoexposes the storage to tampering, erasure, or destruction.

An improved networking communications controller device andcorresponding computer implemented methods for improving networkedcommunications is described in embodiments herein for use in ensuringreliable and strong communications such that actionable intelligence canboth be captured and acted upon. Depending on the priority and/orseverity of an event or potential event, which may be set automatically,through a set of rules applied to one or more data points, or manually,the improved networking communications controller device can transmitcontrol signals to re-prioritize data transmissions across existingcommunication links. In some embodiments, additional communicationsresources can be obtained (e.g., requesting the use of an expensivesatellite connection), or existing communication resources being usedfor other purposes may be supplanted or re-scheduled.

The improved networking communications controller device is adapted touse bonding technology to automatically provide improved speed andreliability in networking communications following a triggering event.This improved communications capability is used in a manner that isresponsive to triggering events, permitting costs to be minimized andresources, such as satellite signals, to be shared and prioritizedaccording to real-time need.

As an illustrative, non-limiting example, a police officer may arrive onlocation in respect of a burglary call. Upon the officer's vehicle orsmartphone GPS noting that the officer has arrived on location, aninitial triggering event has been satisfied. The networkingcommunications controller device starts increasing allocations ofcommunication resources to the officer's vehicle's on-board computers,as well as to the body-camera, smartphone, or other devices that requirecommunications. Other non-essential or lower priority communicationfunctions may be suppressed or delayed (e.g., the transmission of asignal of fuel capacity and tire-pressure on the police vehicle,indicative of a need for routine maintenance, may be delayed). On ashared resource like a satellite, a centralized controller may shape orthrottle other non-essential communications from other locations toincreasing allocations of communication resources to those devices thatrequire the resources.

The officer identifies the presence of a potential suspect on scene, anddraws his weapon from an intelligent holster. The holster automaticallytransmits a signal indicative that the weapon has been withdrawn, andthe networking communications controller device receives this signal andfurther increases allocations of communication resources by, forinstance, causing the quality of video transmission from the scene ofthe incident to improve from low frame rate, low resolution previews toa high resolution, full frame rate video stream. As the officerapproaches the suspect, the body-camera (or other communicationsequipment) is supported with maximum (or greater) availablecommunication resources (or at least meeting an elevated threshold, fullframe rate, or a set of higher communication standards). Other triggersare possible, such as the engaging of a siren, etc. The frame rateand/or resolution of dash cam video may improve, for example.

When the officer is able to de-escalate the situation, the officerreturns the weapon to the holster. Accordingly, a signal can begenerated at that time that the communications resources may bede-escalated to a lower level, and when, for example, the officer entersthe vehicle and leaves the scene, the GPS position of the vehicle istracked and the networking communications controller device returns thelevel of communications resources to a normal level.

Other contexts and applications are contemplated, for example, militaryapplications, and non-emergency situations, such as when an officer isengaged in a scheduled but potentially dangerous activity, such astransporting offenders, etc.

Similarly, the implementation is not limited to a first responderimplementation. As described further below, other potentialimplementations exist where there may be short term need of increasedcommunication resources. For example, if an aircraft is determined to bedeviating from a flight path, additional communication resources may beautomatically assigned to help ensure that communications can bemaintained.

The controller device includes circuitry adapted to provide a connectionmanager circuit that generates and transmits control signals that modifythe operation of communication interfaces. The controller device, insome embodiments, is an improved networking router, or a special purposecomputing device including processors, controller circuits,computer-readable memory, and data storage. The controller device, insome embodiments, includes computer memories storing one or morecommunication buffers for receiving for storing data packets forforwarding to a destination computing device or receipt from adestination computing device. Utilizing more than one communicationlinkage for multiple simultaneous data connections is described inApplicant's application Ser. No. 14/360,372, incorporated herein byreference. Utilizing communication buffers that are configured forpacket routing for forwarding to a destination computing device (or viceversa) is described in Applicant's application Ser. Nos. 12/499,151 and14/341,057, incorporated herein by reference.

The communication interfaces, in cooperation with other communicationdevices, provide one or more connections, which may have heterogeneousnetworking communication characteristics. The connection managercircuit, responsive to data packets received in relation to an incident(e.g., data packets representative of data, events, information, etc.)modifies the communication characteristics to re-prioritize and/ormodify how the one or more connections are used to communicateinformation.

In some embodiments, the one or more connections have tunable ormodifiable characteristics, which can be triggered to increase, forexample, a bandwidth, to reduce a latency, among others. Additionalchannels may be added, technologies used formultiplexing/de-multiplexing may be modified, etc.

The present disclosure relates to a system incorporating the improvednetworking communications controller device that responds to data fromevents or incidents, the system comprising of a rules engine and aconnection manager. The connection manager and rules engine can be asingle entity or may be separate in virtual or physical locations, andmay operate under different parameters depending on its situation orinherent capabilities. The connection manager and rules engine,separately or as one entity, may be located locally, at the scene of anincident, centrally, or remotely. In a preferred embodiment, the systemis a device including different hardware circuitry that are provided ina single device. In another embodiment, the system is a set of softwaremodules and hardware devices that are electronically coupled to oneanother and do not necessarily reside within the same device.

An event comprises of one or more data points taken together. Anincident comprises one or more events, and an event may form part of oneor more incidents. The present system may declare that an event or setof events constitutes an incident by way of an automatic process ormanual input. The severity and/or priority of the incidents may be setautomatically, through a set of rules applied to one or more datapoints, or manually.

In one aspect, an incident timeline may be created based on datacollected and transmitted from an incident. The incident timeline may beproduced in real-time or after the fact, and it can be edited orannotated, with such edits or annotations being tracked.

In another aspect, an artificial intelligence analysis, including facialrecognition, audio/semantic analysis, and intelligent search, may beengaged to create an incident timeline by fusing data collected andtransmitted from different sources of data related to an incident, forexample, from various sensors. The fusion of data may be completed inreal-time or after the fact. The incident timeline may be edited orannotated, with such edits or annotations being tracked.

In another aspect, an artificial intelligence analysis engine, includingfacial recognition, audio/semantic analysis, and intelligent search, maybe engaged to conduct an analysis on the incident timeline to determineif gaps in the incident timeline, or in views of a particular moment intime, could be identified. Based on the analysis, data collected andtransmitted from different sources of an incident may be fused tocomplete gaps identified by the artificial intelligence analysis enginewith existing information, information which should be sought by otherinvestigative means, or information from events that may have occurredprior to the start of the incident.

In another aspect, the system is configured to apply an artificialintelligence engine that is configured to generate computer-aidedpredictions of possible outcomes of the incident in real-time or to minethe data to offer recommendations for improvements to incidentresponding protocols. The system may use an artificial intelligenceanalysis engine to recommend and/or requisition a particular resource beavailable in an incident, based on a prediction of how the events in theincident timeline have played out in previous incidents.

For example, the artificial intelligence analysis engine may recommendthat a drone be sent to a particular location to provide a view of anincident not otherwise available, or to the location of an expectedincident, for instance the predicted end point of a car chase. A furtherexample may be the artificial intelligence analysis engine predictingthe type of equipment or resource best suited to respond to a particularincident, such as predicting the need for a bomb sniffing dog or bombrobot where an explosive device is involved in the incident, orrecommending the use of a particular form of non-lethal weapon based onan assessment of what a suspect is wearing. In a specific example, thedrone identifies that a bomb-planting suspect is wearing a gas mask(e.g., using machine learning). Accordingly, a non-lethal mechanism isautomatically selected, and a control system selects a taser rather thantear gas due to the presence of the gas mask. In another specificexample, a camera detects that a suspect may have at some point in theincident carried a weapon that appears to be legitimate, and thus anofficer may wish to engage the suspect with extreme caution, even if aweapon is not visible on the scene.

In another aspect, the present system may also use an artificialintelligence analysis engine to determine whether gaps in data exist inthe timelines of incidents located in particular areas, and mayrecommend changes to communication networks or may identify locationssuitable for additional fixed communication devices, such assurveillance cameras. The artificial intelligence analysis engine mayalso be used to analyze and compare events to standard workflows orsimilar past events to extract statistics and insights that can driveworkflow improvements and opportunities for training improvements forstaff in the field.

The system may make one or more views of an incident available atvarious endpoints, such as command centres. The contents of each theincident view, or the priority given to each the incident view may bedetermined manually or by a set of rules in real-time. In anotherembodiment, the system may make one or more views of an incidentavailable for viewing on the monitor of the officer's squad car, or onthe officer's cellphone, potentially through the use of a cellularapplication. The command centre can further include a surveillance vanhaving multiple viewports or screens that are able to provide feedbackor control signals. Applicant's U.S. application Ser. No. 14/329,112describes some example embodiments for providing viewing and controlmechanisms, incorporated herein by reference.

Other aspects and features of the embodiments herein will becomeapparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of thefollowing description of specific embodiments in conjunction with theaccompanying figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the figures, embodiments are illustrated by way of example. It is tobe expressly understood that the description and figures are only forthe purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding.

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the attached figures, wherein in the figures:

FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram relating to an example scenario inwhich the rules engine and connection manager responds to events orincidents following a police-related occurrence, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block schematic diagram showcasing the process by which aremote rule engine and connection manager is configured to respond todata received from an incident, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram of an example scenario of the rulesengine and connection manager configured to respond to multipleincidents that occurred near each other, impacting connection choices,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram showing that, in some instances, theremote rules engine and connection manager may have the option tocommunicate data either directly or through a mesh network, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block schematic diagram showing that, in some instances, thecentral connection manager, command centre, or the local rules enginesare configured to modify how data is prioritized, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a block schematic diagram of an example scenario of thecentral engine and connection manager configured to respond toinformation received from a police vehicle, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 7A is an example of a type of graphical timeline (or other type oftimestamped recording or data structure) that may be constructed basedon data collected and transmitted from an incident, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 7B is an example of a type of graphical timeline (or other type oftimestamped recording or data structure) constructed based on datacollected and transmitted from an incident, wherein the eventsconstituting the timeline are mapped back to raw audio/visual/contextualsource material to provide a comprehensive view and understanding of theincident, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram showing the process by which anartificial intelligence analysis engine analyzes events in real time orpost hoc and predicts how the events might play out in real time usingdata from an incident, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is an example view of some of the data sources that might beavailable for viewing at a command centre, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 10 is a block schematic diagram showing four communicationsscenarios in which various techniques are implemented to manage thebreakdown of the asserted rule hierarchy.

FIG. 11 is an example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a second example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a third example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to a system for employing actionableintelligence in an emergency or other situation requiring immediatesituational awareness, based on multiple types of input. Actionableintelligence may refer to an output by the system that provides guidanceor specific information to a person, whereby the person can act on theinformation provided by the output to resolve an incident.

A computer system is provided for dynamically modifying multi-pathrouting communication pathways responsive to a triggering event,according to an embodiment. Corresponding computer programs (e.g.,non-transitory computer readable media storing machine interpretableinstructions for execution by a processor) and methods are alsocontemplated. The system can include a sensor communications receiver inelectronic communication with sensors that is configured to periodicallyreceive data sets related to detected events, the detected eventsrepresentative of a triggering event. The data sets can include rawdata, which can be processed to determine that a detected event hasoccurred. The detected event, for example, can be the removal orplacement of a weapon into a weapons rack/holster, theactivation/de-activation of vehicular lighting, the toggling of a switchexplicitly indicating the need for prioritized communications, etc.

Existing solutions rely on the sending of relatively small amounts ofsimple data across a single connection for central processing. Currentchallenges with existing solutions include: varying signal and spectralenvironments, unreliable hand-offs between signal towers, signal drops,limited availability of cellular signals, limited capacity of individualnetwork paths, and possibly unreliable networks.

The present disclosure provides a system that is configured tointelligently and adaptively combine a variety of communication linksavailable nearby the scene of an incident. The available links may beintelligently and adaptively allocated based on consideration of theseverity and priority of an incident, determined by an analysis of thedata received from the incident. In some embodiments, the communicationlinks are bonded (aggregated) together or de-bonded, such that multiplecommunication links are used for transmitting the same data, forinstance, broken into portions of packets or individual packets forre-construction at a receiving computing entity.

The bonding/aggregation is not limited to simply using all thecommunication links for transmission, rather, intelligentbonding/aggregation techniques can be utilized such that thecommunication links cooperate with one another to improve the overalltransmission (e.g., five communication links being used fortransmission, while the fastest communication link is used both fortransmission and error control packet transmission; or usingbonding/aggregation to control the quality of video transmission fromthe scene of the incident and potentially improve the quality from a lowframe rate, low resolution previews to a high resolution, full framerate video stream, based on an assessment of the severity of anincident).

Actionable intelligence can be used as a triggering mechanism andutilized to establish electronic communication pathways in anticipationof a high-priority or very important communication channel (or channels)being required. Actionable intelligence is by its very naturetime-sensitive, and is effected by a combination of data and logicalmechanisms that are activated in accordance with one or more processesto provision sufficient connectivity resources across smart blendedconnectivity.

The system comprises a rules and connection manager, which may be oneentity or separate entities in separate virtual or physical locations.The rules and connection manager responds to events or incidents and toreal-time network conditions. The rules and connection manager is, insome embodiments, a physical circuit and may include processors,computer readable memory, and various interface connections.

An event is comprised of one or more data points taken together. Anincident contains one or more events, and may contain additional datapoints. An event may form part of one or more incidents. Thedetermination that an event or set of events constitutes an incidentmight involve an automatic process, or may be manually declared eitherat the scene of an incident or at some other location, such as a commandcenter.

Examples of data points include audio and/or video recording from acamera, such as a dash cam or an officer's body cam; GPS info from avehicle, such as a police vehicle; or a police officer's cell phone orother location device; sensor data, such as information indicating thata gun was removed from a holster; vehicle status data such as enginedata, tire pressure, lights and sirens being turned on or off; and apolice officer's health status, including, but not limited to pulse,blood pressure, or stress levels as measured by, for example, voiceanalysis.

The term “resources” used throughout, refers to data resources andincludes the sources of at least the data points described above, unlessotherwise specified.

Determinations regarding how to transmit and receive data are made by aconnection manager, based on logic stored thereon. The connectionmanager controls the processes involved in deciding which communicationspaths should be used to, from and between the various endpoints, systemsand devices. Such choices may involve the bonding of two or morecommunications channels, dynamic assignment of roles to communicationschannels or links, adding, re-prioritizing, or re-purposingcommunications channels, among others.

Decisions about which data to request, transmit or display can be madeby a rules engine at various locations, such as locally, at the scene ofthe incident, or at a central command or cloud based rules engine. Rulesengines may exist in a hierarchy, in which the scope of decision-makingof the various engines is based on a set of rules. For instance, whereconflicts between the rules engines exist, or where the communicationbetween a local connection manager and rules engine and a remoteconnection manager and rules engine is disrupted, such conflicts ordisruptions may be resolved through a set of rules or through manualintervention.

In one embodiment, such as the case of a larger scale incident involvingmultiple police patrol vehicles and mobile command vehicles, a locallong range WiFi network is established based on a hierarchy of rules. Inthis example, there could be a hierarchy of local rules engines with thepatrol vehicle rules engines feeding data over WiFi to the local rulesengine in the mobile command vehicle, and the mobile command vehiclefeeding data to the remote rules engine.

A hierarchy can be represented as a data structure storing logicalconditions establishing routing tables and network characteristics andpriorities. For example, the hierarchy may be flexible and dynamicallyapplied as a situation changes based on actionable intelligence asascertained based on triggering information. The hierarchy may furtherdetermine the types of communications resources that are activatedand/or requested. Corresponding communication links and channels may beprovisioned, and in some cases, additional resources are requested andbonding circuitry is utilized to obtain a requisite bandwidth orthroughput (or any other desired communications features).

In another embodiment, the rules engines are adapted to enable viewingof local data over WiFi, including live or recorded video streams incases where bandwidth is limited or to minimize satellite costs. Thisallows local commanders and officers to view detailed data and highquality video locally regardless of the bandwidth available to the WiFiand the central or remote rules engine.

One or more connection managers may interact with one or more rulesengines, and the corresponding rules engine which they interact with maychange in real-time in concert with changes in the environment relatedto the incident. Changes in the environment may include the location ofvarious engines, the capacity of the various engines, or availabilityand capacity of various communication links.

A connection or rules engine may operate under different parametersdepending on its situation or inherent capabilities. For example, aconnection manager and rules engine on a vehicle may be limited tomaking decisions for a specific set of devices or endpoints associatedwith the vehicle or officers connected to that vehicle, whereas a remotecommunications manager or rules engine may have decision-making powerfor many more communications devices, and may make different decisionsbased on what is occurring in real-time across the range of devices.

The rules engine and connection manager may be located locally (at thescene of an incident), central, or remotely.

FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of an example scenario in which thelocal, central or remote rules engine and connection manager 26, 10 mayrespond to events 32 or incidents 36 following a police-relatedoccurrence.

The connection manager is a network communications controller devicehaving a processor and adapted for communication with a sensorcommunications receiver.

The connection manager 26 or 10 determines, a required increase ordecrease in communications performance relative to currentcommunications performance for a target device; and provisions theincrease or decrease in communications performance by modifying one ormore data routing paths associated with one or more other networkeddevices to prioritize communications between the target device and acommunications station. For example, communications pathways can beobtained as between a recording device (if the device has connectionsthereof), cellular towers, or available satellite/microwave linksthereof.

The communication links, in response to the trigger, have their datarouting paths modified, and modifying of the data routing paths caninclude re-allocating network links previously allocated to the othernetworked devices and using the re-allocated network links formulti-path routing between the target device and the communicationsstation.

The modifying of the data routing paths can include, for example,modifying assignments of error control roles and data transmission rolesof the network links.

The other network devices can include a portable cellular router (e.g.,a vehicle may have a cellular hotspot) (e.g., the communications devicelocated on a police vehicle 20), the portable cellular routerelectronically coupled to the target device through a local area networkconnection; and the data routing paths associated with the cellularrouter can be assigned error control roles, for example, to improve anoverall throughput of the signal to/from the target device to thecommunications station. Communications, for example, may be routed inaccordance with approaches described in U.S. application Ser. No.14/360,372 (granted as U.S. Pat. No. 9,357,427, incorporated herein byreference), in relation to resending of dropped packets or Forward ErrorCorrection, or padding/duplication of packets on a second channel (ormultiple other channels, not always limited to just two channels). Audioinfo and real-time telemetry data (information that needs to be acted onat the receiving end in a timely fashion, not just logged for laterprocessing) could similarly use this mechanism.

For example, the system may send error control (FEC data) as padding onthe main channel, and sends i-frames as back-up on a different channel,or the tracks the types of packets that are tending to be dropped, andinfers from that a “smart sampling” of packets to duplicate (or amountof FEC data to generate and send) on the second channel and the speedrequired to make that channel effective for error control. The decisionto get more aggressive with pathway specialization may be related to theseverity of the incident. (e.g., the system may grab priority channelson the cell tower to send FEC data upon a holster pull, since it will becrucial that no data is lost from the events that follows. In anotherembodiment, video is sent over cell via body-cam until an eventtriggers, at which point the body cam switches to wireless (e.g.,802.11x) and sends to the squad vehicle communication device, which(when stationary), deploys a satellite dish (e.g., a mini-satellite),and handles the core video, with the body-cam sending an occasionali-frame, or other duplicate packets via cellular on a best-effortsbasis.

The modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices can further include temporarily disabling communications from asubset of the other networked devices by re-allocating an entirety ofthe corresponding network links of the subset of the other networkeddevices to the target device. This, for example, could reduce an abilityof suspects or other users to communicate using the correspondingnetwork links.

The modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices can include transmitting a data message to cellular basestations including electronic instructions to re-allocate cellularcommunications vectors to provide the increased communicationsperformance. This is useful where there may be clogged cellularnetworks, for example, due to a parade. Re-allocation of cellularcommunications vectors can include the clearing or provisioning ofspecific cellular communications channels in accordance with amodulation scheme being used (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, FDMA).

The required increase in communications performance can be designatedfor target locations based on a route of a vehicle stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the data routing paths associated withother networked devices to prioritize communications between the targetdevice and the communications station can be pre-emptively conducted atthe target locations while the vehicle is moving to the targetlocations, effectively clearing a communications path as the vehicleprogresses along the route.

In the example scenario in FIG. 1 , multiple police officers 12 mayarrive at the scene of a police-related occurrence. Each police officer12 may carry multiple sources of relevant data 30 and have multiplemeans of sharing or transmitting the data 30 amongst themselves or withothers at the scene and with command centres 14.

The declaration that an event 32 or set of events constitutes anincident 36 might involve an automatic process, such as the policeofficer 12 turning on warning lights and sirens, or may be manuallydeclared either at the scene or at some other location, by either apolice officer 12 or someone at a command center 14. In someembodiments, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beemployed to analyze data from an event 32 or set of events andautomatically declare whether the event 32 or set of events constitutesan incident 36. The artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is atrained neural network implemented on a computer and having the abilityto progressively self-improve (i.e., “learn”).

Once an incident 36 is declared, other data 30, such as footage fromstationary surveillance cameras 24 nearby the location of the policevehicle 20 or the location to which the officer had been dispatched, orvideo data from the officer's body cam or dash cam, may be requested bythe local 26, central, or remote 10 rules engine and connection manager.Such requests may be made manually, manually based on suggestionsprovided by the system, or automatically based on a set of rules. Insome embodiments, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beemployed to analyze the severity and/or priority of an event andautomatically request the reallocation of resources.

Incidents 36 may have different severities and/or priorities. Theseverity and/or priority of incidents 36 may be set automatically,through a set of rules applied to one or more data 30 points, ormanually, such as via a police officer's declaration of the severityand/or priority. These severities and/or priorities may change inreal-time during or after the incident 36 or event 32, based on ananalysis of additional data 30. The priority of a given incident 36 maychange in real-time due to other incidents 36 beginning, ending, orescalating.

The priority and/or severity of an event 32 may lead to changes in thebehaviour and management of connections, including but not limited towired internet connections 27, cellular tower 28 connections, orsatellite and other non-cellular network connections 29, via the local26, central, or remote 10 rules engine and connection manager, and tothe location and/or re-allocation of computing power and resources toassist in resolving the incident 36. In some embodiments, the primarydriver behind such adjustments to the behaviour and management ofconnections is cost.

In some embodiments, the priority or severity of an event 32 may alsolead to the prioritization of data 30 based on event 32 priority and/orseverity, which dictates how connections are assigned, re-routed andused.

In other embodiments, the priority or severity of an event 32 may alsoresult in changes to the data 30 that is sent to and from the locationof an incident 36. For example, the system may use bonding/aggregationto control the quality of video transmission from the scene of theincident and potentially improve the quality from a low frame rate, lowresolution previews to a high resolution, full frame rate video stream,based on an assessment of the severity of an incident 36.

For instance, higher priority incidents 36, such as a robbery inprogress, might require more communications and computing resources fordevices and data 30 related to it than a lower priority incident 36,such as a report of vandalism that has already occurred.

In one embodiment, the local 26, central or remote 10 rules engine andconnection manager, being aware of multiple incidents 36 in an area orwithin a group of common resources, such as a team of police officers,may not only directly request that more resources be allocated to thehigher priority incidents 36, but may also directly reduce the amount ofshared resources (e.g., a satellite connection) available to incidents36 of lower priority so as to ensure availability of resources for theprimary high priority incidents 36.

In some embodiments, the local 26, central or remote 10 rules engine andconnection manager may directly reduce the amount of unmanaged resources(e.g., a cellular network) available to incidents 36 of lower priorityso as to control or reduce costs.

In another embodiment, declaration of an incident 36 may lead to furtherdata 30 being collected, stored and/or transmitted via the local 26,central or remote 10 rules engine and connection manager. For instance,buffered video data from dash cams 16 or rear view cams, amongst others,may be transmitted in real-time, while higher quality video may berecorded for later transmission along with buffered video data capturedby the system, and may be marked with incident time stamps.

In another embodiment, certain events 32 or incidents 36 might instructthe system to record the events 32 associated with an incident 36 toanother storage methodology. For example, a police officer's gun beingpulled from its holster might be recorded to a blockchain or othersecure or tamper-proof method of information storage, thus preservingthe content without fear of tampering.

The required increase in communications performance can be designatedfor a route of a vehicle or a person stored in electronic memory, andthe modifying of the data routing paths associated with other networkeddevices to prioritize communications between the target device and thecommunications station includes modifying the data routing pathscorresponding to subsets of the other networked devices that areproximate to the vehicle or the person while the vehicle or the personis traversing the route.

The sensors can, for example, include at least one of a weaponsecurement device sensor or an emergency vehicle lighting activationsensor, and the target device includes at least one of a body camera, anidentification friend or foe transponder, or a dashboard camera. Otherexample embodiments are possible, for example, where the system is beingused in relation to a sports event, at concerts, military, search, orsearch and rescue operations, among others.

The sensors, in some embodiments, can be cameras, microphones, or otherrecording devices.

In another embodiment, the processing of information 34, such as theaudio data of a witness or suspect, might cause a different language tobe detected and a full translation be requested via the local 26,central, or remote 10 rules engine and connection manager. A computer oran appropriate human resource would be prompted to translate the data.In some examples, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beengaged to detect the foreign language and translate it in real time.The artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neuralnetwork implemented on a computer and having the ability toprogressively self-improve (i.e., “learn”).

The data 30 being gathered by various resources, such as cameras orsensors, can be sent to one or more locations either directly, such asthrough WiFi or another point-to-point method, or indirectly through thecloud, where it may be processed before being broadcasted or otherwisetransmitted to one or more endpoints, such as a command centre 14.

FIG. 2 is a block schematic diagram showcasing the process by which arules engine and connection manager may respond to data 30 received froman incident 36.

As events 32 occur and data 30 is generated at the location of anincident 36, decisions need to be made as to what and/or how information34 on the data 30 and event 32 is to be sent to relevant endpoints, suchas a command center 14, and the form that the information 34 would take,based on incident 36 priority and/or severity (e.g. a low frame rate,low resolution video might be preferred for low priority incidents,while a high resolution, full frame rate video stream, might bepreferred for high priority incidents).

The central or remote connection manager 10 and rules engine may sendinformation back to the local rules engine and connection manager 26,which may then send information back to the scene of the incident 36 fordisplay and/or notification. The central or remote 10 connection managerand rules engine may at that time also communicate additional rules forthe local connection manager 26 and rules engine, and vice versa.

A connection manager may select (or reconfigure) a communication link38, or combination of links (or reconfigure bonding/aggregation of acombination of links), depending on the nature of the data 30 beingtransmitted or the availability of the communication links 38, to sendinformation between the incident 36 and the command centre 14. In someembodiments, the connection manager selectively controlsbonding/de-bonding of communication links 38, and may request additionalresources by adding additional communication links 38 into a set ofbonded communication links 38. Conversely, reduced resources may also becaused by removal of communication links 38 from a set of bondedcommunication links 38.

For example, the central rules engine, responsive to data setsindicative of additional officers approaching the scene, or additionalincidents 36 taking place in the area of the incident 36, changescommunication paths to account for additional communication trafficexpected on communication links 38 in the area due to the devices thatthe system manages and other expected traffic which may be related tothe incident, such as cell phone traffic at an accident scene or ademonstration. In an embodiment, changing of communications pathsincludes disrupting/lowering priority of other communications (e.g.,non-police/emergency/fire communications) in area of incident (which mayhelp disrupt communications, for a malicious actor, for instance), bysignalling relevant network controllers. That is, beyond changingpriorities for police related comms on what might be a private network,actively seek to effect comms not controlled by the system (e.g.onlookers clogging networks with their own live video from a scene atthe expense of police video of same incident. In some cases the systemwould have to adapt to that reality (rely less on those networks, bemore willing to use higher cost protected networks), but in others, maybe able to instruct network provider to disable all communications butthose that are part of the system).

A communication link 38 or combination of links may have a set ofcharacteristics, such as low latency, high throughput, or highreliability. The set of characteristics may change in real-time. A local26, central, or remote 10 communication manager and rule engine mayassess the set of characteristics to identify a communication link 38 orcombination of links that may be preferable as a medium over which tosend data 30 to or from an incident 36, based on an assessment of theseverity and/or priority of the incident 36.

In some embodiments, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 maybe engaged to assess the set of characteristics to identify acommunication link 38 or combination of links that may be preferable asa medium over which to send data 30 to or from an incident 36, based onan assessment of the severity and/or priority of the incident 36.

In one embodiment, local 26, central, or remote 10 communication managerand rule engine may assess local computing capacity, networkconnectivity, latency needs, and cost; determine whether work, such asvideo, image, or audio processing, should be done at an edge node or inthe cloud; and allow for transfer of control back and forth as real-timeconditions or computation demands change.

Both the remote and local rules engines may trigger changes in thebehaviour of applications or devices, both at the scene of the incident36 and elsewhere. For example, in addition to, or instead of, changingthe connection or combination of connections to send dash cam video, thecentral rules engine may instruct the local rules engine to lower orraise the video resolution, data rate, latency, redundancy or scope oferror correction at which the video is encoded prior to transmission.

The central connection manager and rules engine may collect anddistribute content from one or more incidents 36 back to a remotecommand centre 14, and may receive instructions from that command centre14 that impact its own rules and which may also be routed to local rulesengines.

The central connection and rules engine may contain an event queue thatmay dictate that specific actions, such as the re-routing ofcommunication networks, are needed based on an assessment of data 30from an incident 36. The event queue is used to distribute events 32 anddata 30 to other services in the cloud, namely microservices. Themicroservices process events 32 and data 30, possibly integrate data 30from other sources, and possibly generate incidents 36 or additionalevents 32.

For example, the system may have an event 32 relating to the capture ofa license plate, and this event 32 serves the license plate informationto an external database, or databases, in search of matches.

In some embodiments, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 maybe employed to assess and analyze data in an event queue based onpre-set rules or flexibly-determined rules that automatically adjust asthe artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 progressively improves(i.e., “learns”). The artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is atrained neural network implemented on a computer and having the abilityto progressively self-improve. The artificial intelligence analysisengine 80 may analyze data 30 in the event queue and distribute events32 and data 30 to other services in the cloud, namely microservices. Themicroservices process events 32 and data 30, possibly integrate data 30from other sources, and possibly generate incidents 36 or additionalevents 32.

FIG. 3 is a block schematic diagram of an example scenario of a rulesengine and connection manager responding to multiple incidents occurringnear each other and impacting connection choices.

In one embodiment, knowledge of other events 32 and incidents 36happening or likely to happen in an area may be used to determine thecourse of action. For example, where a robbery is developing, knowledgeof that event 32 and other events 32 taking place nearby will informwhich police vehicle to be sent as back-up based on a number of factors,including proximity to the location of the robbery and availability ofthe police car, among others.

In another embodiment, the knowledge of other events 32 and incidents 36can assist in managing other police resources, including for example,the management of shared connectivity resources such as satellite orcellular connections, or shared computation or cloud resources, by, forinstance, instructing police vehicles from the resource pool 30, whichare not involved in the incident 36, to patrol unmanned routes. Unmannedroutes can be identified (and possibly new routes determined), and couldbe based on the regular resources on those routes being involved in theactive incident (e.g., a police officer with a required language skillis re-assigned to an emergency scene, leaving his/her original routeunattended, and the system may dispatch a reserve officer to patrol theoriginal route).

By having knowledge of the assets attached to a particular policeofficer 12, such as lethal weaponry available to the police officer 12,the system may recommend next steps in the police officer's 12 course ofaction. For example, the system may provide the police officer 12 withinformation regarding the availability of non-lethal alternatives, liketear gas or a bean-bag shotgun in nearby vehicles, along with thevehicle's location data 30. In some embodiments, an artificialintelligence analysis engine 80 may be used to analyze and compareevents to standard workflows or similar past events to extractstatistics and insights that can drive workflow improvements andopportunities for training improvements for staff in the field. Theartificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neural networkimplemented on a computer and having the ability to progressivelyself-improve (i.e., “learn”).

FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram showing that, in some instances, theremote 10 rules engine and connection manager may have the option tocommunicate data 30 either directly, through a cellular network 42 orindirectly, through a mesh network 44 formed through intelligentbonding/aggregation of communication links 38.

In some embodiments, a bonded communication link may be contained withina single device, for example a bonded internet gateway in the car forpurposes of data transmission, and in other embodiments, an ad hoc meshnetwork 44 might be used to transmit the data.

In some embodiments, a mesh network 44 could be a local network createdby connecting several devices, whereby one or more of those devicestransmits its own data as well as serving as a relay for the otherdevice(s). For example, a police officer's cell phone that is out ofsignal range may be connected to a second police officer's cell phoneand to that officer's police car's internet services to create a meshnetwork 44 for data 30 transmission and receipt. The officer's phone maybe out of cell coverage, but may connect to the second phone through analternate mechanism (e.g., WiFi or Bluetooth).

FIG. 4 shows that an application on a first officer's cell phone 40 orembedded in the officer's body cam 18, could be used to send video data30 to the remote 10 rules engine and connections manager directly via acellular network 42, or in conjunction with a mesh network 44 createdwith a second officer's cell phone 41 via a local WiFi network. In thisexample, the system may be instructed based on an analysis of thepriority and/or severity of an incident to send the video data 30 viathe communication links 38 in a police vehicle through, for example, asatellite connection at the stationary vehicle 48.

FIG. 5 is a block schematic diagram showing that, in some instances, thecentral connection manager, command centre 14, or the local rulesengines, may decide to change which data 30 to prioritized based oninformation 34 regarding the incident 36.

For example, in the case of a car chase, at time x, it may beappropriate to send dash cam 16 video from a first pursuing car 50, andat time x+y, it may be appropriate to send video from a second pursuingcar 52, to maximize chances that the suspect vehicle 54 remains infocus. The appropriateness of the data 30 to be prioritized in eachsituation may relate to the nature of the content of that data 30, forinstance the second car 52 being closer to the incident 36 at time x+y,or could relate to other factors, such as the quality of thecommunication link 38 between the vehicles and the network, includingthe potential for poor signal coverage.

The rules engines may also instruct some vehicles or other resources notto send video or other data 30, or to send it at a lower resolution,different latency, or lesser cost, if it would be redundant, or ifcommunication resources are in short supply and priority is desired forthe preferred resource. The service on the lower priority feed may, forexample, lower resolution, frame rate, etc., or modify allocationmechanisms to be less aggressive in grabbing bandwidth (e.g., allowingthe local app to determine how to deal with it (via dropping resolutionetc.)).

FIG. 6 is a block schematic diagram of an example scenario of thecentral rules engine and connection manager responding to informationreceived from a police vehicle.

In this example, a police vehicle, in which a local rules engine andconnection manager 26 is located, sends a specific bit of information 34from the local scene to the central rules engine. The rules engine andconnection manager may be one entity or separate entities in separatevirtual or physical locations.

The information 34 transmitted from the local scene could be a pictureof the suspect vehicle 54 and the license plate for processing at acentral location, or the actual license plate number as determined byimage processing conducted at the vehicle. The central rules engine thenprocesses the information 34 and sends an output that provides guidanceor specific information to the officer (i.e., “actionable intelligence),such as whether the car is stolen, whether the driver has a warrant, ora picture of the suspected driver.

FIG. 7A is an example of a type of timeline 70 that may be constructedbased on data 30 collected and transmitted from an incident 36.

With data 30 related to a given incident 36 being collected andtransmitted from a variety of sources, a timeline 70 may be constructedto provide a detailed outline of the incident 36. The determination ofwhat events 32 are related to the incident 36 may be made manually, orautomatically based on a set of rules, or by employing an artificialintelligence analysis engine 80.

In one aspect, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 capable ofconducting facial recognition, audio/semantic analysis, and intelligentsearches, may be engaged to conduct an analysis on the incident timeline70 to determine if gaps in the incident timeline 70, or in views of aparticular moment in time, could be identified. Based on the analysis,data 30 collected and transmitted from different sources of an incident36 may be fused to complete gaps identified by the artificialintelligence analysis engine 80 with existing information, informationwhich should be sought by other investigative means, or information fromevents that may have occurred prior to the start of the incident.

In some examples, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beemployed to determine if gaps in the timeline 70 or in views of aparticular moment in time, could be identified and filled either withexisting information, such as a dash cam 16 video from a nearbyofficer's vehicle, or by information sought by other investigativemeans, such as identifying locations near a shooting incident 36, whichmay provide either witnesses or security camera footage providing adifferent vantage point of the incident 36. For example, one of thethings the system might auto-detect are other security cameras in thevideo feed of the initial camera (to help quickly identify relevantcameras more quickly than by canvassing the area and hoping thatofficers will observe the cameras attached to local shops etc.).

The artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neuralnetwork implemented on a computer and having the ability toprogressively self-improve (i.e., “learn”).

An incident timeline 70 may be produced both in real-time and after thefact. In real-time, the timeline 70 may predict future events based oninformation currently in the timeline 70, including for instance variouslocation information 34 provided during a car chase, such as thedirection of travel, GPS location, or speed, and information on asuspect generated by license plate recognition. The system might predictlocations where the suspect is likely heading, which could allow thepolice to predict the route of the chase, or get officers to the likelyendpoint of the chase, and allow the chase to end prematurely,protecting public safety along the chase route.

In generating an incident timeline 70, time syncing between the variousdevices and data sources will need to be considered both during andafter the incident, as computing duties may be passed back and forthbetween different devices. For instance, during a chase, certain imageprocessing may be done in the cloud, but would need to move back to thevehicle if connectivity was dropped.

In one embodiment, accurate time syncing of all elements, includingtransmitters and sensors, related to a given incident are generatedusing precision time protocol or a central/cloud time sync for recordedcontent.

Incident timelines 70 can be edited or annotated, with such edits orannotations being tracked.

Like in FIG. 7A above, FIG. 7B is an example of a type of timeline 70that may be constructed based on data 30 collected and transmitted froman incident 36.

FIG. 7B presents an embodiment where events constituting the timeline 70are mapped back to raw audio/visual/contextual source material toprovide a comprehensive view and understanding of the incident. Anartificial intelligence analysis engine 80, capable of conducting facialrecognition analysis, audio/semantic analysis, and intelligent searches,may be engaged to create the incident timeline 70 by fusing datacollected and transmitted from different sources of an incident 36. Theartificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neural networkimplemented on a computer and having the ability to progressivelyself-improve (i.e., “learn”). The fusion of data 30 may be completed inreal-time or after the fact. The incident timeline 70 may be edited orannotated, with such edits or annotations being tracked.

FIG. 8 is a block schematic diagram showing the process by which theartificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may predict how events 32might play out in real time, using data 30 from an incident 36.

In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beused to analyze and compare events 32 to standard workflows or similarpast events 32 to extract statistics and insights that can inform aprediction on how events 32 might play out in real time. The artificialintelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neural network implementedon a computer and having the ability to progressively self-improve(i.e., “learn”).

In one embodiment, an analysis conducted by the artificial intelligenceanalysis engine 80 may suggest possible relevant resources ofinformation 34 from events 32 that may have occurred prior to theofficial start of an incident 36. For example, while a 911 call triggersthe incident 36 from a police action perspective, the criminal incident36 would have begun earlier, and the system may be able to suggest otherresources to help in any follow-up investigation of the underlyingcriminal action, such as tracing back from the time the dash cam 16picked up the vehicle it is chasing, determining what other camerasmight have seen the vehicle prior to the chase beginning, based onknowledge of the location of other vehicles, and predicting a likelypath of the suspect's vehicle.

In another embodiment, the artificial intelligence analysis engine 80engages in “time-shifting”, whereby the system is instructed to requesta camera that records in a loop to rewind and record from the beginningof the loop, for example, qucapturing video recorded before the officialstart of the incident and preserves it, in case in may be relevant tothe incident. The embodiment provides the ability for data 30 relevantto an incident, such as video camera footage relating to an event 32occurring prior to the official start of the incident 36, to be madeaccessible post hoc through real-time decisions by the artificialintelligence analysis engine 80. The artificial intelligence analysisengine 80 is a trained neural network implemented on a computer andhaving the ability to progressively self-improve (i.e., “learn”).

Focusing in on the artificial intelligence analysis engine 80, asnumerous data 30 points are collected on incidents 36, officers,suspects and other elements, it may be possible to predict how events 32might play out in real-time or mine the data 30 to offer recommendationsfor improvements to officer training, routes for patrols, scheduling ofofficers, amongst others. The artificial intelligence analysis engine 80may also be used to analyze and compare events to standard workflows orsimilar past events to extract statistics and insights that can driveworkflow improvements and opportunities for training improvements forstaff in the field.

In a real-time example, it may be known that one officer is quick toremove a weapon from its holster, potentially escalating a conflict.Knowing that the officer is approaching a scene where the suspect'sprecarious mental state is also known, and providing that information 34to the officer, might reduce the likelihood of the officer shooting thesuspect during their interaction and opting instead to employ otherapproaches to which the suspect may be more responsive. In oneembodiment, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may be used toanalyze and compare events to standard workflows or similar past eventsto extract statistics and insights that can inform a prediction on howevents might play out in real time. The artificial intelligence analysisengine 80 may be engaged to perform sentiment analysis or vocal stressanalysis, or conduct and analyze the suspect's historical data. Theartificial intelligence analysis engine 80 is a trained neural networkimplemented on a computer and having the ability to progressivelyself-improve.

In another embodiment, the system may recommend and/or requisition aparticular resource, such as a SWAT team or a trained negotiator, toassist in a particular situation, based on a prediction of how thevarious events 32 currently in an incident timeline 70 might play out.An artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may be engaged to provideofficers involved in the incident 36 with guidance informed based ondata 30, such as sentiment analysis or vocal stress analysis, or asearch of the suspect's historical data, that could assist the officerto negotiate or de-escalate the incident.

In still another embodiment, the system may determine that gaps tend toexist in incident timelines 70 involving data 30 from particularlocations, and recommend changes to communication networks available topolice officers 12, such as ensuring that vehicles travelling throughthe location carry cell phones from a particular carrier, or have accessto satellite networks in addition to a cellular network, or identifylocations suitable for additional fixed surveillance cameras that theofficers could rely on.

In yet another embodiment, based on an officer's history and/or locationof next deployment, the system might recommend training to betterprepare the officer for scenarios that he or she might face. Forexample, an officer who will be deployed for the first time on a routein an area known for heavy drug use, may be assigned training, or haveinformation pushed to them in real-time, indicating methods of detectingthe types of behaviour that they might encounter in people under theinfluence of a particular drug. An artificial intelligence analysisengine 80 may also be used to analyze and compare events to standardworkflows or similar past events to extract statistics and insights thatcan drive workflow improvements and opportunities for trainingimprovements for staff in the field. The artificial intelligenceanalysis engine 80 is a trained neural network implemented on a computerand having the ability to progressively self-improve.

In another example, an artificial intelligence analysis engine 80 may beused to analyze and compare events to standard workflows or similar pastevents, such as a report of stolen goods, and an inventory of goodsrecovered at an incident 36, to extract statistics and insightsregarding potential trends in theft incidents that can drive workflowimprovements and opportunities for training improvements for staff inthe field.

FIG. 9 offers a comprehensive view of some of the data 30 sources thatmight be available for viewing at a command centre 14.

One or more of the views 90 depicted in FIG. 9 may be available atvarious endpoints, such as a command centre 14. For instance, an officermay have a view 90 of an incident available to the officer on themonitor of the officer's squad car, or on the officer's cellphone.

The content of each incident view 90, or the priority given to each view90 may be determined manually or by a set of rules in real-time. Forinstance, a gun being pulled from a holster may immediately beprioritized and multiple views 90 provided to the command centre 14,placing the incident 36 view in a prominent location on the screen 92.

One view 90 of an incident 36 may, but does not need to, contain aspecific set of data 30 sources, or similar sources in a different form,as other views of the incident 36 displayed elsewhere.

For example, it may be possible for a local police officer 12 to haveraw video from the immediate scene, whereas the command centre 14 mayonly have a severely compressed video available for viewing due tonetwork constraints requiring a lower bit rate being transferred. On theother hand, it may also be the case that a low resolution video isprovided to the police officer 12, since the screen they are observingis small and a higher resolution would not be required.

Restrictions on who may see a particular data 30 point or receivecertain output that provides guidance or specific information to theofficer (i.e., “actionable intelligence), may be based on rules. Forinstance, it may be the case that a police dispatcher is prevented fromseeing certain data 30 so that they are not brought into a case as awitness.

Any number of other views is possible for any number of data 30 sourcesand any number of locations.

FIG. 10 is a block schematic diagram showing four communicationsscenarios in which various techniques are implemented to manage thebreakdown of the asserted rule hierarchy.

For example, purposes only, each scenario illustrated in FIG. 10comprises of three rules engines and connection managers, namely: theofficer vehicle rules engine and connection manger 101, the remote rulesengine and connection manager 10, and the mobile command centre rulesengine and connection manager 103. More or fewer than three rulesengines and connection managers may be employed in any one incident 36.

The three rules engines and connection managers in FIG. 10 operate undera set of hierarchy rules (e.g. rules stating that mobile commands trumpall other commands), which may be determined by a number of factors. Forexample, where the location of the rules engines and connection managersrelative to the incident 36 is too great, the remote rules engine andconnection manager 10 may not be available to the extent required by theincident 36, and thus the mobile command centre rules engines andconnection managers 101 may take over to provide the required coverageof the incident 36.

In another example, the severity of the incident 36 may dictate whichrules engines and connection managers will provide coverage of theincident 36. For instance, for linked incidents 36 with nationalimplications, the hierarchy of rules may be dictated by the remote rulesengine and connection manager 10.

In another embodiment, different hierarchies may exist for differenttypes of rules. For example, where a vehicle is equipped with a localrules engine and connection manager 26, a remote cloud rules engine andconnection manager may dictate the video quality sent from the vehicleto the cloud.

The scenarios in FIG. 10 represent a situation at the time of theincident 36, or at any time during the incident 36. As circumstanceschange, an incident 36 may involve multiple scenarios, leading to shiftsbetween multiple hierarchies and rules sets.

FIG. 10 illustrates four scenarios in which the mobile command centrerules engine and connection manager 103 is at the top of the hierarchy.In Scenario 1, all communications link 38 from all three of the rulesengines and connection managers are available to receive and transmitdata to and/or from an incident 36, and any preset hierarchy or rules isapplicable (e.g. a rule stating that mobile command can send commandsanywhere).

In Scenario 2, the officer vehicle rules engine and connection manager101 is cut off from direct connection to the local command centre. Theofficer vehicle rules engine and connection manager 101 could inform theremote rules engine and connection manager 10 of this disconnection, andthe remote rules engine and connection manager 10 could further informthe mobile command centre rules engine and connection manager 103,relaying commands through the remote rules engine and connection manager10. In another embodiment, this communication break could also bedetected by the mobile command centre rules engine and connectionmanager 103, which could trigger the re-routing of communications links38.

In Scenario 3, two communications link 38 are down and the onlyconnection available is that between the officer vehicle rules engineand connection manager 101 and the remote rules engine and connectionmanager 10. At this point, one or both of the systems may need todetermine which rule set will dominate. Options may include: the remoterules engine and connection manager 10 taking over the communicationslinks 38, splitting up the rules hierarchy between the two systems, orhaving each system operate independently of the other. The systems couldalso sync the “last known rule” received from the mobile command centrerules engine and connection manager 103.

In Scenario 4, all communication links 38 are down, and each rulesengine must determine how to proceed. In some embodiments, the officervehicle rules engine and connection manager 101 may operate on the “lastknown rule” (i.e. the last rule sent from one rules engine to another)sent from the top rules engine in the hierarchy. In other embodiments,the officer vehicle rules engine and connection manager 101 mayimmediately assert control and behave according to its own decisions. Inyet another embodiment, the officer vehicle rules engine and connectionmanager 101 could combine the “last known rule” with local rules. In yetothers, there could be a “time fade”, whereby each rules engine blendsdecisions of the top hierarchy engine with its own, with the weightgiven to the last known rule from the hierarchy declining over time.

Different rules may require different methods of dealing with the lossof connection to the dominant rules engine. For instance, a “time fade”,as described above, may be beneficial for video encoding decisions,while the remote triggering of a siren may require an immediate shift incontrol. When or if connections return, a similar process of discoveryand conflict resolution will be required.

In another embodiment, the hierarchy of rules may be a hierarchy ofcaches for data 30 and events 32. For example, an officer's vehicle mayact as a cache for locally connected sensors and sensors connected toofficers associated with the vehicle. Command vehicles may act as cachesfor all of the nearby officer vehicles. The caches will retain data 30for all incidents in progress so that it can be viewed by local officersand commanders in the event that the connection to the “upstream” engineis lost.

The rules engines may pass all of the data 30 upstream if sufficientbandwidth is available. If bandwidth is limited, the rules engines mayprioritize the data 30 that is sent upstream by, for instance, onlysending high-priority date and sending the lower priority data 30 at alater time. Rules engines may also synchronize instances of themicroservices from upstream rules engines and execute the instances ifthe upstream connection is lost.

FIG. 11 is an example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 11 , a police officer is in pursuit of a suspect anddraws a non-lethal weapon out of a holster. The holster includes asensor 1102 which upon opening/closing of a fastener (e.g., button orhinge), transmits a signal to a communications coordination system 1100.In this example, the communications coordination system 1100 may be aportable networked communications controller that serves as a personalcommunications bus/communications manager for the police officer, which,for example, could be an application that is operated on a portabledevice, such as a smartphone.

The communications coordination system 1100 can include one or morenetwork interfaces that provide communications both at a local level(e.g., via Bluetooth, Zigbee™′ radio frequency), and with more remotedevices (e.g., base stations through cellular connections, satelliteconnections, or microwave connections). The triggering event can alsoinclude passively or actively detected movements in sensors, such asdetected movement frames of a body camera or a dashboard camera, orother sensed activities. For example, the police officer's body cameramay include software adapted for identifying objects that appear to beweapons in frames, and upon detection of such an object, mayautomatically send a signal to the communications coordination system1100 to request enhanced communications. Similarly, the dashboard cameracan also track visual elements, such as a license plate of a stolen car,and also send a signal to the communications coordination system 1100 torequest enhanced communications.

The communications coordination system 1100 acts to control multi-pathrouting for controlling network pathways that are utilized forcommunication between the police officer's devices and one or more basestations such that the police officer's devices are able to connect inreal or near-real time (as opposed to relying solely on local storage).There may be multiple network links, and some of them may be indirect(e.g., routing through another, stronger networked connection coupledwith the police officer's squad vehicle, or direct (e.g., throughcellular or satellite connections thereof).

However, the scenarios in which the system 1100 is utilized presentchallenging spectral environments, and network congestion and latencyimpact the ability to transmit information back to the base station. Forexample, the communications coordination system 1100 may be recordinglive video feed from a body camera, transmitting weapons holster status,transmitting information in accordance with a friend or foeidentification system (e.g., a personal transponder that acts as abeacon providing GPS location and identification as a police officer),among others. Transmitting this information requires significantbandwidth resources, which may not be readily available through thenetwork connections without adaptive routing.

In this example, the communications coordination system 1100 isconfigured to dynamically modifying the multi-path routing of thecommunication pathways responsive to the event (e.g., holsterunbuckled). Upon a sensor signal being received by the communicationscoordination system 1100, networked communications are triggered tostart prioritizing pathways to the communications coordination system1100 and to de-prioritize other nearby communications.

A required change in communications performance is identified (e.g.,body camera needs to transmit at least 360p video or still image framesevery second, police terminal needs to obtain an immediate warrant bytransmitting a request file that is 2 MB, mobile device needs to clearat least a channel having a bitrate of 64 kbits/s for a DECT signal).The total change required is an increase of 2 Mbps, for example. Theoverall required performance may depend on the device or sensorrequesting enhanced performance—for example, a body camera may requireless bandwidth than a prioritized dashboard camera, or vice versa.

After the event is de-escalated, for example, after apprehension of thesuspect, the police officer returns the device to a holster and providesa signal to the system 1100 that the event is over. Upon the receivingof a triggering event indicative of de-escalation, networkcommunications are de-prioritized and the system 1100 coordinates themodification of the data routing paths to return to a pre-escalationconnection arrangement.

Controllability may be an important factor in situations (e.g.,military) where not only may the system 1100 not have full control overother networks, but it also is adapted to avoid certain types ofcommunications on certain networks, or reduce its aggressiveness inrequesting bandwidth, as it may tip off whoever is monitoring thenetwork that something significant is happening, or about to behappening, in an area that might be quickly determined by triangulatingon the various networks that are seeing a surge in traffic. For example,an illicit operation may detect a change in network behavior and try tocease/obfuscate their activities.

In particular, certain networks may be flagged as controllable (forexample, operated by a friendly carrier) such that bandwidth allocationsor other characteristically can be modified by sending a signal to thebase station requesting more resources. Bulk data transfer may beprioritized across these networks.

Conversely, where a communication link is suspect or less control isavailable, the communication link can be assigned only error controlfunctions (e.g., sending parity bits, error correction codes) as theremay be potential third parties eavesdropping on the signal and a ramp upin data transfer could provide an unwanted indication of increasedemergency services activities. However, the communication link may stillbe useful for a limited set of functionality, especially whereconnection quality amongst the other available connections is poor.Suspect connections can include connections where snooping oreavesdropping is likely, for example, through a suspiciously strongsignal from a nearby cellphone tower that is above what should beexpected given the distance and normative traffic levels (e.g., a“Stingray”).

The provisioning of additional resources can be incorporated into agradual “ramp” type approach to requesting new capabilities (as opposedto a “surge” all at once) such that the overall activity is not readilyas apparent as a stepwise increase in bandwidth usage. For example, sucha ramp up could happen across half an hour where bandwidth and/or othercommunication characteristics are modified. In an alternate embodiment,the provisioning of additional resources can also include “padding” withredundant or spurious packets in an attempt to obfuscate whichcommunication link is being used for what purposes. For example, “dummy”packets may be generated and transmitted.

The system 1100 provisions the change in communications performance bymodifying data routing paths. The change in communications performanceis performed by adopting multi-path routing, for example, by bondingtogether multiple communication links and/or increasing the performanceof the communication links by either requesting and/or obtaining morebandwidth, or assigning different roles for improving overallcommunications performance of the bonded communication links by, forexample, modifying assignments in error control functions.

For example, system 1100 modifies data routing such that lower-prioritycommunications are either disabled or have reduced communicationsability by modifying their channel allocations. In some embodiments,lower-priority communications are moved to more congested channelallocations such that a free channel can be allocated to higher prioritycommunications. Additional communications movements are possible to addadditional signal separation for the priority communications.

In some embodiments, the modifying of the routing paths includesre-allocating network links previously allocated to the other networkeddevices and using the re-allocated network links for multi-path routingbetween the system 1100 and a communications station. For example, thesystem 1100 can indicate to a cellular base station tower that prioritycommunications are required, and the cellular base station tower mayreduce the capabilities temporarily for other users of the cellular basestation tower to prioritize communications for system 1100. In someembodiments, the system 1100 transmits a signal indicating a request tomonopolize communications or disrupt communications for other users ofthe cellular base station tower such that all of the communications areassigned to the system 1100. This can be useful, for example, wheredisruption of communications by particular individuals, such as arrestsuspects may be desired.

The modifying of the data routing paths can include modifyingassignments of error control roles and data transmission roles of thenetwork links. Low-bandwidth, low latency or highly reliable networklinks are particularly useful for being assigned error control roles.

For example, an expensive but reliable satellite connection associatedwith the squad vehicle's portable communication device having limitedbandwidth (e.g., 1 Mbps) can be re-assigned an error control role inrelation to bulk data communications that may still occur through theother, less reliable, but higher bandwidth bonded connections (e.g., acombination of low performance cellular connections based on the system1100's cellular communication antennas as well as the squad vehicle'sportable device's cellular communication antennas).

In this example, the expensive but reliable satellite connection can beadapted for tracking whether packets have arrived, sending parity bits,sending frame numbers for frame alignment/re-ordering, re-transmittingsuspected lost packets, sending cyclic redundancy check packets, amongothers.

The system 1100 is configured to generate a mapping of existingavailable communication links at a given location or set of locationsand store the mapping in a data structure, the data structure being anarray or a linked list, for example.

A multi-dimensional array or a relational database record may bepopulated. Characteristics of the available communication links can bestored thereon including, for example, signal strength, packet loss,uptime, latency, type, expected throughput, frequency band/channel,available overage, expandability/controllability, carrier, among others.

An initial mapping may include: Smartphone 1: LTE capability, 150 Mbpsdownload/50 Mbps upload expandable to 200 Mbps download/100 Mbps uploadif additional resources requested from Carrier 1, 15% capacity,currently being used for updating firmware (low priority); GSM Modem onSquad Vehicle: 3×LTE capability on Carrier 1, 2, and 3, respectively,800 Mbps download/800 Mbps upload, Satellite Connection 1 on SquadVehicle: Backup transmitter, 5 Mbps download/5 Mbps upload, non-relianceon cell towers means near 100% reliability outdoors; GSM Modem on secondSquad Vehicle: 3×LTE capability on Carrier 1, 2, and 3, respectively,800 Mbps download/800 Mbps upload. The mapping may also includeconnections being used by others (e.g., civilians in the vicinity,security cameras at stores).

As the police officer exits the first squad vehicle and begins pursuingthe suspect, a body camera may be activated or a weapon drawn, which canautomatically begin a request for increased communications services. Thesystem 1100 recognizes a need to transmit a total of 1200 Mbps for allof the cameras associated with the officers and their vehicles.Bandwidth increase requests can be transmitted to cellular carriers toincrease frequency slot allocations in relation to nearby base stationtowers.

The requests can be temporary and indicate, for example, an increase of100 Mbps is required for a period of time. Initial allocations andincreases thereof can be based on a pre-determined estimate based on thetype of devices requiring communications and/or historical trends fromtracked network usage in earlier emergency situations. In someembodiments, a type or severity of an accident or incident as flagged onsystem 1100 can be utilized to modify priority requests, such that, forexample, a very high priority is established in the event of a majorcatastrophe or incident that may further add redundancy tocommunications in the event of a possible overload or additionalcongestion (e.g., looking for survivors after a building collapse).

Performance decreases are possible in relation to other users of thenetworks, and the system 1100 may dynamically update a new routing tablewith an updated mapping where communications are mapped to variousinterfaces and communication links, which may be bonded together, insome embodiments. The bonding may include the assignment of errorcontrol pathways and bulk data transmission roles to specific networksand communication links, which modifies how and what types of datapackets are sent and when.

In some embodiments, prior to using a network or communication linkflagged as not being able to be controlled or suspicious, the system1100 adds encryption or obfuscation layers to the communication in anattempt to circumvent eavesdropping devices. Increased priority may beassigned to secure or known networks for bulk data transfer asadditional time may not be needed for requiring encryption.

Where multiple squad vehicles are in pursuit or in communicationsproximity with one another, signals may also be shared amongst squadvehicles such that the squad vehicles form a mesh network wherebyprioritized resources can utilize the shared resources of the pool ofresources provided by the squad vehicles. For example, in a pursuit,resources may be prioritized to a dash camera of the lead vehicle, aswell as IFF transponders for all of the vehicles, at the expense of thecommunication abilities of the dash cameras of all of the other vehicles(e.g., effectively reducing the bitrate of their communications).

FIG. 12 is a second example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

In this example, the communications coordination system 1200 is adaptedto either be coupled to the squad vehicle 1204 such that the pathway ofthe squad vehicle 1204 is utilized for determining where and whencommunications need to be prioritized in a particular area or region1206.

In this example, the change in communications performance is designatedfor target locations based on a route of a vehicle stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the data routing paths associated with oneor more other networked devices to prioritize communications between thetarget device and the communications station is pre-emptively conductedat the target locations while the vehicle is moving to the one or moretarget locations.

The on-board memory of the squad vehicle's navigation system is utilizedto identify the region 1206 at which the squad vehicle is attending to,along with an estimated time required to arrive at the destination. Insome embodiments, the communications coordination system 1200pre-emptively prioritizes and modifies multi-path routing for thespecific region 1206 such that by the time the squad vehicle arrives atthe destination, communications have been cleared sufficiently to causethe increase in performance by utilizing multi-path routing.

FIG. 13 is a third example illustration of a scenario for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, according to some embodiments.

In this example, the communications coordination system 1300 is adaptedto either be coupled to the squad vehicle 1304 such that the pathway ofthe squad vehicle 1304 is utilized for determining where and whencommunications need to be prioritized in a particular pathway 1306during the times in which the squad vehicle 1304 is traversing thepathways. The triggering event, in this embodiment, can include theactivation of emergency vehicle lighting, which is electronicallycoupled to and automatically indicates to the communicationscoordination system 1300 that prioritized communications are requiredfor a period of time. The period of time can be determined such that atleast while the emergency vehicle lighting is activated and for atimeout period afterwards (e.g., half an hour), that the prioritizedcommunications are required.

As the squad vehicle 1304 traverses along the pathway, enhancedcommunications are provisioned accordingly by de-prioritizing and addingchannel capability from various cellular base stations along thepathway. Movements between cellular towers and corresponding cells of acellular network can be identified ahead of time, and pre-emptivemodification can be based on a cell-by-cell basis and with correspondingbase station communications thereof. For example, as the squad vehicle1304 navigates between cells A, B, and C, communications are clearedsequentially and then de-prioritized after the squad vehicle 1304 exitsthe corresponding cells.

The on-board memory of the squad vehicle's navigation system is utilizedto identify the pathway 1306 at which the squad vehicle is headingalong, along with an estimated time at various locations along thepathway 1306. In some embodiments, the communications coordinationsystem 1300 pre-emptively prioritizes and modifies multi-path routingfor the specific region 1306 such that by the time the squad vehiclearrives at the locations along the pathway, communications have beencleared sufficiently to cause the increase in performance by utilizingmulti-path routing. In this example, the prioritized communications maybe required where the target transmission device is ultimately adashboard camera which is transmitting footage of a police vehicle chaseor the police vehicle using the emergency lights to bypass trafficlights. If there are additional squad vehicles, the squad vehicles mayalso form a mesh network of available pooled resources that may beutilized together to provide multi-path or bonded network connectionlinks.

In a further embodiment, signal usage along the pathway or nearbyregions can also be observed by communications coordination system 1300(or a backend data center), for example, in communication with one ormore cellular base stations. These communications and signal usage canbe provided into an artificial intelligence engine that is configured togenerate computer-aided predictions of possible outcomes of the incidentin real-time or to mine the data to offer recommendations forimprovements to incident responding protocols.

For example, the communications coordination system 1300 may use anartificial intelligence analysis engine to recommend and/or requisitiona particular resource be available in an incident, based on a predictionof how the events in the incident timeline have played out in previousincidents based on their historical spectral and signal usages.

For example, the artificial intelligence analysis engine may recommendthat a drone be sent to a particular location to provide a view of anincident not otherwise available, or to the location of an expectedincident, for instance the predicted end point of a car chase (or wherea getaway car or persons are located).

A further example may be the artificial intelligence analysis enginepredicting the type of equipment or resource best suited to respond to aparticular incident, such as predicting the need for a bomb sniffing dogor bomb robot where an explosive device is involved in the incident, orrecommending the use of a particular form of non-lethal weapon based onan assessment of what a suspect is wearing.

In a specific example, the drone identifies that a bomb-planting suspectis wearing a gas mask (e.g., using machine learning). Accordingly, anon-lethal mechanism is automatically selected, and a control systemselects a Taser rather than tear gas due to the presence of the gasmask.

In another aspect, the present system may also use an artificialintelligence analysis engine to determine whether gaps in data exist inthe timelines of incidents located in particular areas, and mayrecommend changes to communication networks or may identify locationssuitable for additional fixed communication devices, such assurveillance cameras. The artificial intelligence analysis engine mayalso be used to analyze and compare events to standard workflows orsimilar past events to extract statistics and insights that can driveworkflow improvements and opportunities for training improvements forstaff in the field.

Other examples are possible—the above examples are utilized to indicateexample scenarios whereby the communications are prioritized and/orde-prioritized to establish improved communications performance. This isparticularly important in relation to rural or mountainous regions,where a single communications interface is suffering from spectralinterference or poor signal quality, especially if there is congestionin the network.

The ability to provide enhanced communications despite such spectralinterference or poor signal quality allows for improved communicationscoordination with an emergency responder. The communications, forexample, can be with a data center of a police station where suchdashboard or body camera images are captured in real or near-real time(or in some embodiments, proximate enough to the event) such thattampering or accidental loss is reduced. For example, in someembodiments, dashboard or body camera images may also be stored on localstorage (e.g., at a higher resolution), but a corroborating version(e.g., at a lower resolution, bitrate, frame rate) of the dashboard orbody camera images are transmitted to the base station, for example, torelay real or near-real time intelligence to the police station whereactivities are being coordinated. Even if the local storage iscorrupted, at least the corroborating version is available.

The embodiments are not limited to emergency responders, but the systemcould also be used for other types of triggering events, such as thoseused in heart rate sensors for monitoring seniors, sports events (e.g.,ball tracking and triggers can be based on detected in-game events),concerts, among others.

The term “connected” or “coupled to” may include both direct coupling(in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact eachother) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional elementis located between the two elements).

Although the embodiments have been described in detail, it should beunderstood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can bemade herein without departing from the scope. Moreover, the scope of thepresent application is not intended to be limited to the particularembodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter,means, methods and steps described in the specification.

As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed,that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantiallythe same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may beutilized. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to includewithin their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositionsof matter, means, methods, or steps.

As can be understood, the examples described above and illustrated areintended to be exemplary only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system for dynamically modifyingmulti-path routing communication pathways responsive to a triggeringevent, the system comprising: a sensor communications receiver inelectronic communication with one or more sensors and configured toreceive one or more data sets associated with the triggering event; anetwork communications controller device including at least a processor,the network communications controller device for communication with thesensor communications receiver and configured to determine a requiredchange in communications performance relative to current communicationsperformance for a target device; and the network communicationscontroller device configured to provision the change in communicationsperformance by modifying one or more data routing paths associated withone or more other networked devices to prioritize or deprioritizecommunications between the target device and a communications station;where in the modifying of the one or more data routing paths includesre-allocating network links previously allocated to the one or moreother networked devices and using the re-allocated network links formulti-path routing between the target device and a communicationsstation; and wherein the modifying of the one or more data routing pathsassociated with the one or more other networked devices includestemporarily disabling communications from a subset of the one or moreother networked devices by re-allocating an entirety of thecorresponding network links of the subset of the one or more othernetworked devices to the target device.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the multi-path routing between the target device and thecommunications station includes bonding of two or more communicationchannels.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the modifying of the one ormore data routing paths includes modifying assignments of error controlroles and data transmission roles of the one or more network links. 4.The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more other network devicesincludes a portable cellular router, the portable cellular routerelectronically coupled to the target device through a local area networkconnection; and wherein the one or more data routing paths associatedwith the cellular router are assigned error control roles.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the sensor communications receiver receives at leasta second one or more data sets associated with at least a secondtriggering event; wherein the modifying of the one or more data routingpaths associated with one or more other networked devices includesprioritizing the triggering events into at least one lower prioritytriggering event and at least one higher priority triggering event; andwherein communication performance relating to the at least one higherpriority triggering event are prioritized and communication performancerelating to the at least one lower priority triggering event arede-prioritized.
 6. The system of claim 2, wherein the modifying of theone or more data routing paths associated with one or more othernetworked devices includes transmitting a data message to one or morecellular base stations including electronic instructions to re-allocateone or more cellular communications vectors to provide the changedcommunications performance.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein therequired change in communications performance is designated for one ormore target locations based on a route of a vehicle stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the one or more data routing pathsassociated with one or more other networked devices to prioritizecommunications between the target device and the communications stationis pre emptively conducted at the one or more target locations while thevehicle is moving to the one or more target locations.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the required change in communications performance isdesignated for a route of a vehicle or a person stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the one or more data routing pathsassociated with one or more other networked devices to prioritizecommunications between the target device and the communications stationincludes modifying the one or more data routing paths corresponding tosubsets of the one or more other networked devices that are proximate tothe vehicle or the person while the vehicle or the person is traversingthe route.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensorsinclude at least one of a weapon securement device sensor or anemergency vehicle lighting activation sensor, and the target deviceincludes at least one of a body camera, an identification friend or foetransponder, or a dashboard camera.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinthe target device is adapted to record both a low bandwidth data streamand a high bandwidth data stream, the low bandwidth data stream beingtransmitted through the one or more data routing paths and the highbandwidth data stream being stored on local data storage or localcomputer memory.
 11. A computer implemented method for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, the method comprising: receiving one or more data setsassociated with the triggering event; determining a required change incommunications performance relative to current communicationsperformance for a target device; and provisioning the change incommunications performance by modifying one or more data routing pathsassociated with one or more other networked devices to prioritize ordeprioritize communications between the target device and acommunications station; wherein the modifying of the one or more datarouting paths includes re-allocating network links previously allocatedto the one or more other networked devices and using the re-allocatednetwork links for multi-path routing between the target device and acommunications station; and wherein the modifying of the one or moredata routing paths associated with one or more other networked devicesincludes temporarily disabling communications from a subset of the oneor more other networked devices by re-allocating an entirety of thecorresponding network links of the subset of the one or more othernetworked devices to the target device.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the multi-path routing between the target device and thecommunications station includes bonding of two or more communicationchannels.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the modifying of the oneor more data routing paths includes modifying assignments of errorcontrol roles and data transmission roles of the one or more networklinks.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more other networkdevices includes a portable cellular router, the portable cellularrouter electronically coupled to the target device through a local areanetwork connection; and wherein the one or more data routing pathsassociated with the cellular router are assigned error control roles.15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:receiving at least a second one or more data sets associated with atleast a second triggering event; wherein the modifying of the one ormore data routing paths associated with one or more other networkeddevices include prioritizing the triggering events into at least onelower priority triggering events and at least one higher prioritytriggering event, and where communication performance relating to the atleast one higher priority triggering event are prioritized andcommunication performance relating to the at least one lower prioritytriggering event are de-prioritized.
 16. The method of claim 11, whereinthe modifying of the one or more data routing paths associated with oneor more other networked devices includes transmitting a data message toone or more cellular base stations including electronic instructions tore-allocate one or more cellular communications vectors to provide thechanged communications performance.
 17. The method of claim 11, whereinthe required change in communications performance is designated for oneor more target locations based on a route of a vehicle stored inelectronic memory, and the modifying of the one or more data routingpaths associated with one or more other networked devices to prioritizecommunications between the target device and the communications stationis pre emptively conducted at the one or more target locations while thevehicle is moving to the one or more target locations.
 18. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the required change in communications performance isdesignated for a route of a vehicle or a person stored in electronicmemory, and the modifying of the one or more data routing pathsassociated with one or more other networked devices to prioritizecommunications between the target device and the communications stationincludes modifying the one or more data routing paths corresponding tosubsets of the one or more other networked devices that are proximate tothe vehicle or the person while the vehicle or the person is traversingthe route.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensorsinclude at least one of a weapon securement device sensor or anemergency vehicle lighting activation sensor, and the target deviceincludes at least one of a body camera, an identification friend or foetransponder, or a dashboard camera.
 20. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing machine interpretable instructions, which whenexecuted, cause a processor to perform a method for dynamicallymodifying multi-path routing communication pathways responsive to atriggering event, the method comprising: receiving one or more data setsassociated with the triggering event; determining a required change incommunications performance relative to current communicationsperformance for a target device; and provisioning the change incommunications performance by modifying one or more data routing pathsassociated with one or more other networked devices to prioritize ordeprioritize communications between the target device and acommunications station; wherein the modifying of the one or more datarouting paths includes re-allocating network links previously allocatedto the one or more other networked devices and using the re-allocatednetwork links for multi-path routing between the target device and acommunications station; and wherein the modifying of the one or moredata routing paths associated with one or more other networked devicesincludes temporarily disabling communications from a subset of the oneor more other networked devices by re-allocating an entirety of thecorresponding network links of the subset of the one or more othernetworked devices to the target device.